In today's message, the apostle Paul helps us to learn three steps that can help us transform into more content and thankful people. Why is it that we are not as thankful as we should be? I believe that the answer to that question is that we have not yet discovered the secret of contentment. Paul had learned the secret of being content in any and every circumstance in his life through drawing upon God's strength, depending on God's promises, and depositing into the spiritual accounts of others. Let's listen in as Paul shares the secret of contentment that will help to unlock gratitude in our hearts.

Jesus expresses, through a three-part parable, the desire of God the Father for the lost to be saved. In the first part of the parable, Jesus responds to the mutterings of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law over the fact that Jesus welcomed and ate with tax collectors and "sinners", by telling about a person who had 100 sheep and lost one. Jesus, in an attempt to challenge their hypocrisy and inconsistency, asked them if they would consider doing anything differently than the man who left the 99 sheep in the open country to go search for the lost sheep until he found it, and joyfully brought it home, and invited his neighbors and friends to celebrate with him over finding his lost sheep. Not only do we find out about the love of God for those who are lost but also the joy of God for those who repent. We are also challenged to have the same attitude toward the lost as God and to rejoice when sinners are saved.

Jesus encourages the crowds of people who think that they want to be His disciples to count the cost of not being a disciple versus the cost of being a disciple. Jesus makes it very clear that there is a cost to following Him. You will have to re-prioritize the relationships in your life and put Jesus first, you will have to sacrifice yourself and your desires, and you will have to relinquish your control over your worldly possessions.
Following Christ is not cheap, nor is it easy,
but it is well worth the cost.

Jesus tells a parable of a man who invited many people to a banquet to which three men make excuses as to why they cannot attend. The lesson is about people who try to delay or resist responding to Jesus' invitation to salvation by making excuses. Jesus says that if people reject His invitation they will be rejected for entrance into His kingdom.
Don't make excuses, do what is required of you in response to the invitation.

David wrote Psalm 19 to declare God's greatness through His creation and His Word and through people's hearts. God reveals Himself to mankind as Creator through creation, Instructor through Scripture, and Redeemer through daily experiences.
We see the contrast between the infinite God and finite man in this psalm.

After healing the man suffering from dropsy at the home of a Pharisee, Jesus saw how the guests were picking the places of honor at the table and was moved to tell a parable that illustrated the people's desire to seek honor. Jesus mentions that there are two ways that people seek out honor: through arrogance or through humility. Jesus encourages the guests to humbly seek out the lesser places of honor, rather than picking the places of honor so that the host won't humiliate them in the presence of the other guests by making them give up the place of honor to someone more distinguished than them. It is better to choose a lower place of honor and have the host move you up to a better place and be honored in front of the other guests. The main point that Jesus makes is that "those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted."
Then Jesus tells the host that whenever he gives a banquet not to invite those whom he knows will repay him by inviting him to a dinner in return, but to invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, who cannot repay him, and he would be repaid by the blessing of the resurrection of the righteous.

Jesus is invited to eat at the home of a prominent Pharisee, where a man suffering from dropsy has been planted as bait to see if Jesus would heal him on the Sabbath.
The Pharisee and the experts in the law are watching Him closely to see if He takes the bait. Jesus, however, sees through the setup and turns the tables back on them.
Knowing their thoughts and intentions, Jesus asks them if it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not. They remain silent, because Jesus put them in a position where if they say yes it is lawful, it undermines their condemnation of people who have violated their laws regarding the Sabbath and if they say no it is not lawful, it brings up questions regarding their motive for inviting the man suffering dropsy to attend the meal if they would prevent him from being healed. Either way, they would make Jesus look good and make themselves look bad. Jesus' point is that it is lawful to do good to others on the Sabbath by pointing out that if their son or ox falls into a well on the Sabbath they wouldn't hesitate to pull him out.

As Jesus is on His journey to Jerusalem from Galilee, He is met by some Pharisees who bring some ungodly opposition in an attempt to derail Him from His mission. However, Jesus is determined to continue doing the things that God sent Him to do until He reaches Jerusalem to fulfill His purpose of dying on the cross to save mankind from their sins. Jesus grieves over the response of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who are unwilling to accept Jesus as their Savior, Lord, and King. Jesus shows us three ways to respond to ungodly opposition that we face when we are doing what is right.

In our text of Luke 13:22-30, Jesus continues traveling to Jerusalem from Galilee on the way to the cross to pay the price for mankind's sins. A person comes to Him and asks a question which Jesus answers by inviting people to examine their lives and be sure of their standing with God.
Those who are saved will be the people who accept the gospel invitation and enter the kingdom of God through the narrow door (Jesus Christ). His answer focuses on two categories of people: those outside the door and those who are on the inside.
Jesus warns against being excluded from the kingdom of God and urges people to make every effort to enter the kingdom through the narrow door before it is closed and they suffer the judgment of God against their sins. Jesus opens the door to salvation by His death and resurrection. He stated that He is "the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father [enters the kingdom] except through me." (John 14:6)

Jesus illustrates the small beginnings of the kingdom of God and its abundant growth and spreading influence through the world and history by telling two parables: the mustard seed and leaven. The first parable deals with outward growth and the second deals with inward growth.

Today's message takes place on a Sabbath day in one of the synagogues where Jesus is teaching. A woman, who has been afflicted by an evil spirit with a spinal disorder that causes her to be bent over and unable to straighten up for eighteen years, gets the attention of Jesus, and out of His compassion for her, He heals her, setting her free of the infirmity that Satan has kept her bound. Instead of being happy for this woman, the synagogue leader becomes indignant with Jesus, because He healed on the Sabbath. Jesus then has an interaction with the leader over the absurdity of his arguments for prohibiting the healing of this woman who has suffered at the hands of Satan for eighteen years. God's mercy and compassion know no limits to time and place when we turn to Him with a spirit of trust. Have you been set from whatever Satan has bound you? Are you ready to come to Jesus and allow Him to set you free to live fully for Him?

Today is Grandparents' Day! Grandparents are among the most blessed people in the world and are special in the eyes of God. In the message today, we look at what the Bible has to say about grandparents and the powerful responsibility they have for influencing their grandchildren and future generations.

In honor of Labor Day tomorrow, September 5, I am preaching from Psalm 127. The main idea of this psalm is that without God life and all our efforts are not worth it, but when you give God the rightful place in your life, you can rest in His blessing. When you leave the Lord out of your life, all that you do is in vain. The word “vain” shows up three times in this psalm. It means something that has no value or worth. It is an empty achievement. Solomon introduces this idea through two parallel images: the building of a house and the guarding of a city. He then makes application to those who labor and toil without trusting God. And then finally he closes by speaking about God’s provision for our needs, using children as an example. Are you able to find rest in His blessing and provision, or do you labor in vain because you leave God out of your life?

We live in such a mixed-up, messed-up, fallen world where we witness all kinds of tragedies on a daily basis. In today's text, Jesus teaches us a lesson that we should learn whenever we see others going through tragedies or we are going through them ourselves. It is so easy for us to think that people experience tragedies based on the level of their sinfulness. Many of the people in the crowd and even Jesus' disciples held this opinion, but Jesus corrects this mindset and then points the people to their need and us to our need to repent of our sins and turn to God; otherwise, they and we will face God's judgment and be eternally separated from God in hell.

In today's message, we will see the importance of baptism according to God's Word. There are those who will tell you that baptism is not necessary for salvation. When we are baptized, we reenact the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Romans 6:4 tells us, “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” Of course, the symbolism God intended is lost if we are not buried. Many will tell you that sprinkling and pouring are acceptable forms of baptism even though the Greek word baptizo actually meant immersion or submersion. To say that sprinkling is an acceptable form of immersion is simply unscriptural. God commanded immersion and a person is either immersed or they are not.

In order to make a cake, one needs to follow the recipe using all the necessary ingredients. God has a recipe for salvation, and the Bible reveals the necessary ingredients: faith, repentance, confession, and baptism, resulting in living a new life in Christ by being faithful and obedient to God's Word and Will.

The apostle Peter lists five attitudes that demonstrate spiritual growth in the life of a Christian as they faithfully follow Christ even through suffering extreme persecution. These attitudes did not come naturally to Peter, but the Holy Spirit changed him from an impulsive, strong-willed personality to a submissive, tender-hearted, and humble follower of Christ. The Holy Spirit can change our lives, too, if we open our hearts to His working in our lives. We will then begin to notice the attitudes that demonstrate our growth spiritually as Christians. How has your spiritual growth progressed since you first started following Jesus?

Jesus uses two illustrations to teach the crowds to be able to interpret the signs of the present time. The Lord gives us signs that guide our faith. We pray for the ability to see, the wisdom to interpret, and the courage to live what is given to us. In our day, as in Jesus’ day, it is more attractive to live comfortable lives without trying to understand what is going on around us. Jesus uses harsh words to condemn our laziness and distraction. What are the signs of our times? How can we understand them? Where is God in the midst of what is going on around us? How are we called to respond as followers of Jesus in light of all the things that are happening? Jesus is calling us to discernment and action in the world we live in now. He is calling us to be even more in tune with spiritual matters than we are with worldly matters. He invites us to get things right with God before He returns and it is too late.

Jesus was passionate about the mission given to Him by His Father. There was a zeal for it and a drive to carry it out. His desire was harmonious with the Father's desire. He wanted to please His Father. Jesus has called us to continue in that mission of bringing the good news of salvation to a lost, divided, and dying world. May we desire to be brought into harmony with Him in living out our calling. The good news is inspirational and challenging and like all divine messages it gets a variety of responses. It is not that Jesus came to bring division, but His message would do so, as some would reject it. Peace was His desire and His gift to all His followers, but separation and judgment will be the punishment for those who reject Him.

Do you ever wonder what people think about you? Do you even care? To some extent, most of us do care what others think of us. Have you ever wondered what God thinks of you? In today's text, Paul instructs a young minister to remind the people of what God thinks about them. Today's message is the second of two parts in which we examine what God thinks of us from Titus 3:1-8. Is it possible to know what God thinks about us? Do we want to know what He thinks about us? Well, our passage this morning reveals exactly what God thinks about us.

Do you ever wonder what people think about you? Do you even care? To some extent, most of us do care what others think of us. Have you ever wondered what God thinks of you? In today's text, Paul instructs a young minister to remind the people of what God thinks about them. Today's message is the first of two parts in which we examine what God thinks of us from Titus 3:1-8. Is it possible to know what God thinks about us? Do we want to know what He thinks about us? Well, our passage this morning reveals exactly what God thinks about us.